When comparing Panono Camera vs Ricoh Theta S, the Slant community recommends Ricoh Theta S for most people. In the question“What are the best 360-degree cameras?”Ricoh Theta S is ranked 1st while Panono Camera is ranked 19th. The most important reason people chose Ricoh Theta S is:

Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking

Pros

Pro

Takes completely spherical, high quality 108 MP photos

Panono uses 36 camera modules to take 108 MP photos with zero blind spots. Because Panono avoids using wide angle lenses, instead opting for a large amount of camera modules with normal lenses, the device can avoid much of the distortion that's commonly found in 360-degree cameras.

Pro

Google Photosphere compatibility

Images taken with the Panono are Google Photosphere compatible. As such, they can be even used on Google Street View.

Pro

You can take photos by throwing the camera in the air

This can be achieved by the accelerometer which will trigger the camera at the highest point.

Pro

Fully automated stitching

Once the image files are uploaded to the cloud, they are automatically stitched within minutes. Panono provides high quality stitching and is therefore convenient for users who want to save time.

Pro

Offers HDR mode

Panono Camera can capture high dynamic range photos due to HDR mode. Its settings can be enabled via the iOS or Android app.

Pro

Panono apps offer a range of services

Panono has apps for Android and iOS mobile devices which allow camera settings to be changed (exposure time, ISO, White Balance). The camera can also be triggered remotely, previews can be viewed, images can be transferred to the cloud for stitching, and the user's own and other public panoramas can be viewed by pointing the mobile device in the desired viewing direction. Additional features include HDR and Anti Shake mode, while there are direct sharing options too (website embedding via iFrame, Facebook, Twitter).

Pro

Water-resistant

The camera is resistant to light rain.

Pro

Highly durable

This device has two shells to secure its interior while the green rubber stripes help make it more flexible in case it drops.

Pro

Can be used with standard tripod screws

With the Panono tripod adapter, the camera can be mounted on a tripod and charged while it is still in use.

Pro

Viewing images on a mobile device is done by pointing the device in the desired direction

Panono images can be accessed via apps for Android and iOS mobile devices and via browsers. Viewing images is achieved by pointing the mobile device in the desired viewing direction. This approach is easy to grasp by any user and no additional software is needed.

Pro

Offers good degree of manual control over image capture

Pro

Straightforward to use

This device is very easy to use. Simply switch between photo or video capture by pressing a toggle on the side of the camera and then press the button on the front of the camera.

Pro

Highly portable

The camera is small, making it easy to carry around. It can easily fit into a trouser pocket.

Pro

Reasonable stitching quality

The Ricoh Theta app is reasonably successful at stitching. While artifacts and splicing issues can occur, they will usually not be noticeable during a casual viewing, only revealing themselves upon closer inspection.

Pro

Built-in interval photography support

You can set intervals between images and the number of images you wish to take.

Pro

Real-time live preview via a smartphone app

The smartphone app allows previewing the footage that the camera is capturing. It can also adjust settings such as exposure and white balance.

Pro

Comes with a protective sleeve for carrying and storage

The protective sleeve is not only highly practical, but it also looks very sleek and doesn't add much bulk.

Pro

Includes HDR mode

HDR mode allows the user to capture exactly what they see before them and helps take overall better-looking photos. HDR is particularly useful when capturing landscapes, low-lit scenes and scenes in which there is excessive sunlight.

Pro

Perfectly placed shutter button

The shutter button is placed far from the power button in order to avoid accidentally turning off the camera instead of pressing the shutter button.

Pro

Compatible with the new Google Street View app

The app allows you to capture and publish your photo spheres instantly to Google Maps for people all over the world to explore.

Pro

Possible to attach to a tripod or monopod

Ricoh Theta has a standard tripod/monopod mount.

Pro

Offers HD live streaming

You can live stream to YouTube in dual fisheye mode.

Pro

Takes high quality stills

The camera takes crisp 14.5MP stills with well judged colors. There's little noise or artifacting, and only minor stitching issues. It performs well both in daylight and in dim environments.

Pro

Built-in service for uploading videos and pictures

Ricoh Theta S has a built-in service for uploading pictures and videos on social platforms such as Google+ and Flickr, making the whole process of uploading your work as seamless as possible.

Pro

Durable for casual use

Provided you take care with the lenses, the camera is more than able to hold up to casual use. It's made of a grippy, hard plastic and works in a temperature range of 0-40C.

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Cons

Con

Battery life

Between 12 - 15 images per charge (which takes 10 hours) on HDR mode.

Con

Only for stills (no video)

Panono Camera is only able to capture photos, and not video footage.

Con

Inefficient workflow

Connecting to the panoramic ball camera via WiFi, having to enter a password and download the preview to one's phone, then connect to a router with internet access so to upload to the cloud service (into which the user must login on their phone) to get the final stitch, is all too much work.

Con

Final stitching requires an internet connection

After images are taken by Panono, an instant low-resolution and unstitched preview is sent to the companion app over WiFi. For stitching, the images must be downloaded from the camera and sent to the cloud via WiFi (USB transfer is planned). If no internet connection is available, or the service is down for whatever reason, no final stitching on images can be done.

Con

The device can be easily damaged

You have to be extra careful in how you store the device due to its protruding lens design and the fact that it can easily fall over. The lenses are also not scratch resistant.

Con

No expandable storage

The camera is limited to the 8 GB of storage that it comes with.

Con

Functionality is split among multiple apps

Capturing and editing is done via different apps, which only creates hassle for the user. This could have been avoided had there been only one app providing both functions.

Con

Low resolution video

Videos are recorded at 1080p and 30fps, which is relatively low as far as 360-degree cameras go.

Con

Poor quality smartphone app

Smartphone app usually can't find the device even if you are connected to the Ricoh Theta wifi. Usually you need to restart the app in order for it to see the device. And overall smartphone app quality is not very good.

Con

Connectivity to the smartphone app over wifi

Smartphone app connects to the Ricoh Theta using wifi, that means, you can no longer be connected to the internet over wifi. Also the connection process is quite slow.

Con

Minor stitching issues can occur

When looking closely at an image, you may be able to notice some splicing issues with the stitching.

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